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People with learning disabilities still face inequalities in access to health services. This article, which comes with a handout for a journal club discussion, sums up what nurses can do to reduce these inequalities

CLINICAL FOCUS

People with learning disabilities still face inequalities in access to health services. This article, which comes with a handout for a journal club discussion, sums up what nurses can do to reduce these inequalities

A professor leading a review into national cervical, breast and bowel examination schemes has called for nurses and other staff members to give ideas and views to help inform recommendations for the future of cancer screenings.

Concerns have been raised over the ambitions of the new NHS Long Term Plan, with analysts highlighting an “ongoing deterioration” in workforce numbers in critical areas such as primary and community care, nursing and mental health.

The new 10-year plan for the health service in England was published on 7 January, after being delayed since the end of last year. The 136-page blueprint sets out how a £20.5bn annual budget increase will be spent.

The much-anticipated NHS Long Term Plan has finally been revealed, promising a wholesale transformation of the health service in England. Nursing Times has unpacked the 136-page document, which sets out how a £20.5bn annual budget increase will be spent, to find out what it means for nurses both current and future.

General practice nurses are in line for a pay boost as part of a new “radical” contract for primary care across England, though it is likely it will be up to individual practices to decide how much money to pass on to their employees.

Providing tailored support for nurses interested in working in the community is one way to halt the worrying decline in district nurse numbers, according to the chief executive of Health Education England.

The NHS must do more to cater for “millennial” nurses and doctors who want flexibility, career breaks and the opportunity to travel the world, according to the head of Health Education England, who said this was one way to boost retention and address the current “workforce crisis”.

Staff shortages could jeopardise the NHS Long Term Plan, according to a new report from finance experts that warns promised funding could go unspent without the nursing staff to deliver on the blueprint’s promises.

Transferring the commissioning of key public health services, such as health visiting and school nursing, back to the NHS may not be the solution to ensuring better preventative care, according to a leading health commentator.

Shortages of nurses in key areas like mental health, district and practice nursing risk scuppering the delivery of the 10-year plan for the NHS, say health service leaders who have called for urgent action to address staffing issues.

Efforts to boost health professionals’ knowledge of nutrition and ensure they feel confident talking to patients about sensitive topics like weight are among steps designed to tackle the UK’s obesity crisis set out in the long-term plan for the NHS in England.

NHS England has pledged that health professionals will receive the digital tools they need in a bid to make digitally-enabled care “mainstream” across the country, especially those working in community settings, as part of its 10-year plan.

Comprehensive same-day care for the seriously ill and walking wounded will soon be available at most major accident and emergency departments, under moves designed to ease pressure on England’s struggling hospitals.

Community-based rapid response teams will be expected to swing into action within two hours to prevent vulnerable patients being taken to hospital as part of efforts to provide more care closer to home.

NHS leaders have pledged to roll out care bundles across every maternity unit in England in 2019, as part of its goal to reduce stillbirths, maternal and neonatal mortality and serious brain injuries by 50%.

NHS leaders have promised a “step change” in the recruitment of international nurses in order to try and bridge domestic shortfalls, as part of their new long-term plan for the health service in England.

More opportunities for flexible working and career development will be among key measures to feature in a new 10‐year plan for the NHS that will “reset the deal between the NHS and its staff”, according to prime minister Theresa May.

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